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Eels need to make history to win premiership

Roar Guru
27th August, 2009
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In-form Parramatta will need to equal the record set by one of rugby league’s greatest ever teams if they are to end their 23-year wait for an NRL premiership.

The Eels, who are looking for a seventh successive victory on Friday against Penrith, sit just outside the top eight and will almost certainly need to match the record set by the 1925 South Sydney side of 12 successive victories if they are to end their premiership drought.

That Souths side went through the entire season unbeaten and the Eels’ current run, inspired by the form of Jarryd Hayne, has bookies diving for cover, with the TAB bracing themselves for a big payout if Parramatta perform one of the greatest turnarounds in NRL history.

“We are standing to lose a lot of money if Parramatta go all the way,” revealed TAB’s Glenn Munsie.

“Their price has come in to $9 from $101, which is a crazy price for a team outside the top eight and there has been a steady flow of people backing them this week.

“The same goes for Brisbane who have also been well backed from $51, which was their price after they were flogged by Canberra in round 21, into $13. We stand to lose a lot if either come in.”

The most recent team to win a premiership with a long winning streak was the Sydney Roosters, Ricky Stuart’s 2002 side reeling off nine wins on the spin on their way to beating the Warriors in the grand final.

Daniel Anderson’s Eels started the year at $26 but drifted out to three figures after a dreadful start to the season that saw them battling to avoid the wooden spoon after a dismal 13-10 home defeat to Cronulla in round 12.

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Munsie said he was preparing for another big splurge if the Eels beat the Panthers, but Gerard Daffy from Sports Alive said he was content to take on a side that can’t play a home final and also have to face St George Illawarra at Kogarah in the final round of the season next week.

“I looked at their run in and thought if they could fluke a couple of wins then they could go on a run, so we didn’t make them as big a price as some other firms,” Daffy said.

“We had them at $81 just before they went on their run and now have them at $10. A lot of smart punters have worked out they will have to travel if they reach the finals so we haven’t really had any massive plunges on them.”

Longest winning runs to win a rugby league premiership:
12 – South Sydney 1925*
11 – Eastern Suburbs 1935
– South Sydney 1955
– Manly 1972
9 – Eastern Suburbs 1936
– Canberra 1989
– Brisbane 1992
– Sydney Roosters 2002

* Undefeated for the whole season.

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